The Lithuanian National Philharmonic Society’s intensive 84th concert season, marked by the sign of the Year of Čiurlionis, will be crowned by a colourful and appealing symphonic programme delivered by the Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra (LNSO) and its artistic director and principal conductor, Modestas Pitrėnas. It will reflect the efforts to promote and revitalise Lithuanian music, to disseminate the works from all over the world, to cooperate with the most outstanding as well as young performers, and to present joint programmes with Lithuanian ensembles. The LNSO will share the stage with Vilnius Choir (artistic director and principal conductor Artūras Dambrauskas), soloists Yukine Kuroki (piano, Japan) and Viktorija Miškūnaitė (soprano).

This spectacular evening of symphonic music will open with a work related to Čiurlionis. “We will hear Teisutis Makačinas’ Saulės poema (Poem of the Sun), which has not been performed on stage for a long time. It is akin to a glowing, radiant reflection of the young, spring-like Čiurlionis,” says Rūta Prusevičienė, the Director General of the Lithuanian National Philharmonic Society.

The cantata Saulės poema (Poem of the Sun) (text by Marcelijus Martinaitis) for mezzo-soprano, choir and orchestra, composed by Makačinas back in 1975 and dedicated to the 100th anniversary of Čiurlionis’ birth, will be revived by the LNSO with Vilnius Choir and the renowned Lithuanian opera soloist Viktorija Miškūnaitė. The work was inspired by Čiurlionis’ multifaceted, poetic paintings, which seem to be reflected in a transparent harmonic language, polyphonic development and lament overtones.

The vernal concert will be enriched with warm Japanese accents. Lithuania has a spiritual amity with the special Japanese culture, which is mostly manifested through art, especially through music, which is guided by composers’ ideas, new works and their performers. This time the audience will be treated to the famous Japanese composer Takashi Yoshimatsu’s symphonic reflection on nature, the pinnacle of the “New Lyricism” – the Concerto for piano and orchestra Memo Flora, each movement of which illustrates the qualities of flowers in an expressive and colourful way.

For the piano concerto the LNSO will share the stage with a guest from Japan, Yukine Kuroki, a young pianist already familiar to our audience. She won the Grand Prix at the 2012 International Balys Dvarionas Competition in Vilnius, then went on to win prizes at major competitions such as the Dublin Competition, the Liszt Competition in Utrecht, the Arthur Rubinstein Competition in Tel Aviv. She has also appeared at the Vilnius Piano Festival.

The final highlights of the concert, and indeed of the entire 84th season, will build a symbolic musical bridge across the Atlantic. The LNSO will offer Fearful Symmetries for orchestra by internationally venerated American composer John Adams. The composer relates this opus to pop music and minimalist rock and calls it “travelling music”, i.e. music that creates the impression of continuous movement over a shifting landscape. The concert will be crowned with Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5 for soprano and orchestra and Choros No. 10 for choir and orchestra by the well-known Brazilian Heitor Villa-Lobos, composer of melodious music full of penetrating lyricism.

The closing concert of the Lithuanian National Philharmonic Society’s 84th season will take place at the Concert Hall on Friday 16 May at 19.00. LNPhS 84th concert season is sponsored by NORFA.

LNPhS inf.